Civil Services Notification 2026

Major highlights and summary of IAS 2026 Notification

1. Date of notification of Civil Service (Prelims) - 4th February 2026
2. Last date to apply for Civil Service (Prelims) - 24th February 2026
3. Date of Preliminary Exam - 24th May 2026

UPSC Exam Notification 2026 [Download] - English Apply now

First-apply-first-allot system for exam centres (CSE 2026)

Applicants should note that there will be a ceiling on the number of candidates allotted to each of the Centres, except Chennai, Dispur, Kolkata and Nagpur. Allotment of Centres will be on the “first-apply-first allot” basis, and once the capacity of a particular Centre is attained, the Centre will no longer be available as an option for Non‑PwBD candidates; however, PwBD candidates will still be able to opt for that Centre. Applicants who cannot get a Centre of their choice due to this ceiling will be required to choose a Centre from the remaining ones, so they are advised to apply early to secure their preferred Centre. If any candidate appears at a venue other than the one indicated on the e‑Admit Card, he/she will not be allowed to take the Examination.

No. of Vacancies for Civil Services 2026

The number of vacancies to be filled through the Civil Services Examination, 2026 is expected to be approximately 933. This includes 33 vacancies reserved for Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD) category—7 for (a) blindness and low vision, 11 for (b) deaf and hard of hearing, 8 for (c) locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy, and 7 for (e) multiple disabilities from amongst persons under clauses (a) to (c), except the combination of blind and deaf (B+D). The final number of vacancies may change after receipt of firm vacancy positions from the Cadre Controlling Authorities. Reservation will be provided for candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Economically Weaker Sections and Persons with Benchmark Disability, as fixed by the Government.

Educational eligibility for Civil Services Examination 2026

A candidate must hold a Graduate degree from a University incorporated by an Act of the Central or State Legislature in India, or from other educational institutions established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as a University under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, or possess an equivalent qualification.

• Candidates who have appeared at a qualifying examination, the passing of which would render them educationally qualified for the Examination but have not yet been informed of the result, as well as those who intend to appear at such an examination, are eligible for admission to the written part of the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2026. However, all such candidates who are declared qualified for Interview/Personality Test must produce proof of passing the requisite qualifying examination within the time limit prescribed in Rule 13 of CSE 2026; acceptable proof includes degree certificate, final mark sheet or provisional degree certificate as normally issued by the competent authority, and proof of completion of internship in the case of MBBS/BDS/Veterinary Science or equivalent degrees.
• In exceptional cases, the Commission may treat a candidate who does not have any of the foregoing qualifications as eligible, provided the candidate has passed an examination conducted by another institution whose standard, in the opinion of the Commission, justifies admission to the Civil Services Examination.
• Candidates possessing professional and technical qualifications recognised by the Government as equivalent to professional and technical degree are also eligible.
• Candidates who have passed the final professional MBBS or any equivalent professional examination leading to a medical degree or certificate but have not completed their internship by the time of submission of their applications for the Civil Services Examination will be provisionally admitted, provided they submit a certificate from the concerned University/Institution stating that they have passed the final professional examination. They must produce at the time of interview the original degree or a certificate from the competent authority confirming completion of all requirements, including the internship, for award of the degree.

Age limits and relaxations for CSE 2026

A candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 32 years on 1st August 2026; that is, the candidate must have been born not earlier than 2nd August 1994 and not later than 1st August 2005.

The upper age limit is relaxable as follows:

• Up to a maximum of 5 years for candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) or Scheduled Tribe (ST).
• Up to a maximum of 3 years for candidates belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBC) who are eligible for reservation.
• Up to a maximum of 3 years for Defence Services Personnel disabled in operations during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area and released as a consequence thereof.
• Up to a maximum of 5 years for ex‑servicemen, including Commissioned Officers and Emergency Commissioned Officers (ECOs)/Short Service Commissioned Officers (SSCOs), who have rendered at least 5 years of Military Service as on 1st August 2026 and have been released:
  • on completion of assignment (including those whose assignment is due to be completed within one year from 1st August 2026), otherwise than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency; or
  • on account of physical disability attributable to Military Service; or
  • on invalidment.
• Up to a maximum of 5 years for ECOs/SSCOs who have completed an initial assignment of 5 years of Military Service as on 1st August 2026 and whose assignment has been extended beyond five years, and in whose case the Ministry of Defence certifies that they can apply for civil employment and that they will be released on three months’ notice on selection from the date of receipt of the offer of appointment.
• Up to a maximum of 10 years for candidates belonging to PwBD categories, namely:
  1. Blindness and low vision
  2. Deaf and hard of hearing
  3. Locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy;
  4. Autism, Intellectual Disability, specific learning disability and mental illness;
  5. Multiple Disabilities from amongst persons under clauses (1) to (4), including deaf‑blindness.

Candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC who are also covered under ex‑servicemen or PwBD clauses are eligible for cumulative age relaxation under both categories. The term “ex‑servicemen” is as defined in the Ex‑servicemen (Re‑employment in Civil Services and Posts) Rules, 1979, as amended. PwBD candidates will be considered for appointment only if, after the prescribed medical examination, they are found to meet the physical and medical standards for the concerned services. Apart from the specified relaxations, the age limits cannot be relaxed.